The Farr Side: Shakira’s 10th album is poised to dominate the charts

Thursday

Apr 17, 2014 at 10:11 AMApr 17, 2014 at 10:11 AM

By David T. FarrMore Content Now

If music is the doctor, Shakira must have one heck of a prescription.The Colombian-born singer-songwriter is everywhere at the moment. You can find her all over the music charts, TV’s “The Voice,” and numerous commercials for products from teeth-whiteners, perfume and yogurt to Target stores.Speaking of her prescription for success, she’s about to take “Medicine” to the country music charts.Is there anything this woman can’t do? I’m guessing not. Her latest album, “Shakira,” is perched at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 200. The album’s first single, “Can’t Remember To Forget You” with Rihanna, is currently on its way up Billboard’s Hot 100, while “Medicine” is about to make history on the country charts.“Medicine” features fellow “The Voice” coach Blake Shelton. The two joined forces for Shakira’s latest album, just like he did with Christina Aguilera on “Just A Fool” from Aguilera’s “Lotus.”Shakira will become the first South American artist to land on the country music charts in the U.S. Shelton recently made history of his own when his 11th straight single topped the country charts, making him the only artist to achieve such a feat. Will “Medicine” be his 12th? I think the prognosis looks good, as the two recently performed the song on the ACMs.I’ve always enjoyed Shakira’s mystical, sometimes haunting voice — it truly is unique. I still love one of her first English-language hits “Underneath Your Clothes,” but nobody can deny the worldwide success of her massive No. 1 hit “Hips Don’t Lie.” That song alone made her a star.“Shakira.” is her 10th studio album overall and perhaps one of the most important. She’s getting a lot of attention for her coaching on “The Voice,” so this record needs to show her relevance to music even more so than any of her previous ones.The new music illustrates a more Americanized Shakira; even the lyrics are more commonplace than before. This is good for the newer Shakira fan, whereas diehards might see it as selling out. The sound encompasses a little more reggae, rock and ska than we’ve heard from her before, but her recognizable, mercurial vocal tone remains ever-present.The album boasts 12 impressive tracks, most of which seem to follow the path of Taylor Swift, meaning Shakira has no problem dissing the men who’ve done her wrong. The best examples include “You Don’t Care About Me,” “Cut Me Deep,” featuring Magic, and the first single “Can’t Remember To Forget You,” featuring Rihanna.“Spotlight” has pop hit written all over it, while the beautifully-sung “23” is the perfect ballad to showcase her talent the most — I love the acoustic guitar arrangement.The semi-acoustic-guitar-driven “Broken Record” is a standout as well.“Shakira.” is more proof that the real winners on “The Voice” are the coaches.David T. Farr is a Sturgis, Mich., Journal correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com. You can also find The Farr Side on Facebook.